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Scott leaves Minor League game Friday

3/19/13: Luke Scott jacks a grand slam to right-center field in the fourth inning, putting the Rays on top, 7-3

By Zack Meisel and Adam Berry
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Luke Scott had been optimistic about his chances of being in the Rays' Opening Day lineup. Those chances took a hit on Friday.

Scott was removed from a Triple-A contest in Port Charlotte, Fla., after one at-bat due to tightness in his right calf. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI Friday afternoon.

Scott said Friday morning that everything went well running the bases at Tropicana Field on Thursday, though he estimated he only ran at 80 percent on his tight right calf. He made the trip to Port Charlotte on Friday to take between four and eight at-bats split between two games, one with the Rays' Double-A club and the other with Triple-A.

Scott didn't know the plan past Friday, whether it involved more Minor League games or perhaps an appearance in Tampa Bay's game against Detroit at Tropicana Field, which appears unlikely at this point.

It would make more sense for the Rays to keep Scott out of any Major League games so, if he's not ready for Opening Day, they could backdate his disabled-list stint to March 22 and bring him back the first weekend of the regular season.

"We've built this whole thing in the offseason to look a certain way," said manager Joe Maddon. "So, you rely on different guys to be in different spots and then right out of the chute you have to do something differently. But I think we're covered."

Zack Meisel is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @zackmeisel. Adam Berry is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adamdberry. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.